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Post by Moe on Nov 12, 2023 9:10:53 GMT -6
"Um, okay, but I can't really see where you are, either." Mark agreed to switch glasses, but that presented a mildly amusing problem. Neither of them could see each other, once the glasses were off.
Ikuki tried to stifle a laugh, took both their glasses and swapped them, herself. She couldn't keep her laugh in any longer, as they both looked quite hilarious, wearing each other's differently-shaped glasses. "You do not pull off the round glasses. At least Nox looks very handsome." she teased.
"I...huh. Actually, I can see you just fine. Guess we're both equally blind, huh?" he laughed, at Nox. "Can we switch back, now?"
Ikuki switched their glasses back, finding the moment cute and hilarious at the same time. "So, how far is this bookstore? Do you know if they have spellbooks for every element?" she asked, not really wanting to tell him she was looking for dark magic.
"Not terribly far. They told me where to park that it wouldn't be too far of a walk, but it's still not in the easiest area to get to. We'll have to go through downtown first, and once the crowd starts to die down and you start seeing more trees and more building that look pretty ancient, then it's just around the corner. Not a lot of people come here, because there just isn't anything to do. No shops, no tourist attractions, nothing really pretty enough to photograph. Mostly just businesses. Hiding in plain sight, I guess." Mark shrugged as they made their way through the downtown area.
There were shops on either side of the street, and lots of people from all over the region visiting the area. Many of the shops were so full of people, that there was a line to get in. There were small museums, trinket shops, gift shops, costume shops, and gimmicks galore. It was frustrating to see all these historical buildings turned into one giant tourist trap, but also fascinating to see how old the buildings actually were. For just a brief moment, Mark could see what the town looked like in the past. Cobbled roads, no air pollution, no tourists taking pictures in front of statues. It was quite beautiful, until Mark realized that he wasn't just imagining it.
"Oh. Okay. New ability unlocked." he shook his head as he realized what was happening.
"Are you okay?" Ikuki asked, as she had been talking the entire time, but he seemed to have been on autopilot. "Are we in the right place?" she asked.
Apparently he hadn't even realized how long they'd been walking, arriving close to the bookstore. "Yeah. I just...saw the past, for a little bit. I guess all the history around us triggered it." he shrugged. "I am not ready to become omnipotent...." he said in a hushed tone, unable to hide the fear in his voice.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 12, 2023 18:17:39 GMT -6
When Nox was handed Mark’s glasses, he placed them on and looked around. Everything was clear as day. In fact, it may have been clearer for him. But then it dawned onto him that he did just recently placed his hands on the lends so the reason for the lack of clarity was most likely because of his finger prints. But either way, he felt that the strength was the same. And he grinned as he looked at Mark wearing his.
“We look so dumb, I love it!” He giggled as he turned his head to see his reflection in the car mirror. “You know, square glasses may be an interesting switch for me. If I decided to change the frames.”
Then once they switched their glasses back he smirked once more, feeling happy that he as able to tag along for the ride. And even though he wishes Lux was with them, he just knew that his brother wouldn’t be as excited about this place as he was. Which most likely would’ve resulted him in being bored.
He then followed along with the others, making sure that this time he didn’t run off. However, his attention was being torn in every possible direction. Left, right. Signs and advertisements were seen everywhere. Some performers were seen, showing off their items that were on sale. People would gather around them in awe as they watched.
There was a familiar voice which caught his attention. Kyra, the performer from Entertainer’s show was there, showing off some tricks. Nox couldn’t help but smile as her main audience were a bunch of children who were giggling and cheering with the light show she was performing. Behind her, an elderly man who had strikingly similar features to her, was also showing off some of his magic acts.
Nox would’ve gone over to greet them, as Kyra was seemingly harmless when compared to the other performers. But she appeared to be very busy with entertaining the children. So he decided to skip out greeting her and continued to follow along with Ikuki and Mark.
Then Mark randomly said something about a new ability being unlocked. Nox tilted his head as Mark then explained what he was talking about. “Huh? That’s kind of neat though. I bet this place looked a lot different back then.” He said as he gazed at the buildings that towered over them.
A couple of kids skipped in between Nox and the other two. He stepped towards the side and watched as they continued to dart off. Laughing and having a grand old time with their play swords and magic staffs.
“This place is really kind of neat.” Nox said as he slid over to Ikuki. “I wonder what kind of books will we find in there? Or even better yet. I’d love to see if there’s strong wizards and witches there! Or maybe! An Alchemist!” Nox was now getting far too excited.
He then got a text message and glanced down at it. “Oh! Well, that’s good news.” He then turned to Ikuki and Mark. “Joe said she managed to get Lux to say a sentence. But otherwise, he’s been super quiet but content with her being there. So I guess things are still going good.” He then sighed. “So happy that she hasn’t lit anything on fire...”
- - - - - - (MORE FLUFF)
After she finished humming her song, she had debated on whether or not she should hum another. So she asked Lux; “You haven’t gotten tired of me humming yet. Have you?”
He shook his head. No, he hasn’t been annoyed by her humming.
“You know...” She said as she looked down at her coloring book. Unlike Lux, she wasn’t an artist and couldn’t draw. But she did enjoy coloring. “When I first made it home to my parents, I felt really out of place. It was kind of weird. You know? Everyone was so close but me? I was the outcast trying to fit in.” She tilted her head as she looked at her page again.
“But...the coolest thing was, dealing with my Dad for the first time...” she laughed. “The first thing he did when he saw me was sing a stupid sea shanty about a pirate losing his hook to a crazy woman who thought it was a hook for fishing. And he had to go and do all sorts of crazy and silly jobs for her to only find out, she was actually a magical cat. He got the hook back, but he was played by a cat.”
Lux shook his head, amused.
“You’ve met my Dad before. But just imagine never knowing who he was. And this strange short and stocky fiery red haired man just...hops over with a busted up guitar, singing a random song to you. And you stand there, unsure as to what was going on with him and why he was suddenly singing some silly song he made up on the fly.” She laughed. “Then when I realized who he was, he gave me the biggest hug ever.”
Lux glanced over to her, listening to her reminisce. In a way he was a little jealous.
“I’ll never forget. The first thing he said to me after his song was; Hello Josephine. I’m your weird Dad.” She giggled. “He really knew how to make me feel like...you know, a part of the family. I can’t recall ever seeing him be sad or angry either. I mean, not since I met him anyway.” She shrugged.
Then it dawned onto her that she may have been talking too much for Lux. “Oh, sorry. If I’m bugging you. I was...just thinking about my Dad and how I kind of can’t wait to see him and Mom again.” Then she realized, she was still talking about the topic of parents and how it was a touchy subject for Lux. She was beginning to really regret talking now as she frantically began to think of an alternative topic for them to talk about. “I uh...am...”
Josephine quickly held up her book to him and pointed to a section that needed coloring. She had to change the topic really quickly. “Can you figure out which color for this?”
Lux was a bit surprised to see how quickly she changed the subject. At first, he didn’t connect the reasons as to why. But when it finally clicked, he did start to feel a little down. He knew that he’d never get to meet his parents again and any memories he had of them, were faded. However, he did understand what she was attempting to do and tried to not make her feel bad. So he selected a color for her and handed the pencil over.
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Post by Moe on Nov 12, 2023 19:16:38 GMT -6
The bookstore they entered was old. Really old. The stones used to build it looked ancient, predating Apollo by at least a thousand years. The inside smelled strongly of old books and tomes, and had very few people inside. There was a clear "no food or drink" sign on the front of the building, but there was one such figure inside, sitting on a leather sofa, helping himself to a coffee.
"That guy right there. He's definitely related to me." Mark pointed him out.
The man in question was of average build, and short, black hair. There were absolutely no defining features to him, until they got closer and noticed his eyes were exactly like Mark's. Bright green with vertical pupils. The man looked up from his coffee and book, observing the trio that was walking closer to him.
"Oh dear god, you look exactly like your father." were the first words that came out of his mouth.
"Ouch. That was probably the biggest insult anyone's ever thrown at me. Normally I would be offended, but I can't help but be impressed at your unashamed bluntness. That said, I assume you're my uncle?"
The man thought for a moment on first impressions, before respond. "Indeed. Guess you're not too fond of him, either. Good. We immediately have common ground." he said. He sounded snobbish and slightly annoyed, but if he hated Chronos that much, then his attitude was justified. "Argon." he held his hand out, introducing himself to Mark.
"As in the element? Cool. I'm Mark. This is Ikuki and Nox." he introduced the others, with him.
"Pleasure to meet you." Ikuki smiled at him. "You're Dawn's father, right? Nox and I met her in downtown Kaiser City, yesterday. She seemed very sweet."
"Yeah, until she took one look at me and was terrified. I'd...really like to apologize for that, if she's around." Mark said.
And as though on cue, Dawn came happily running over, her arms full of books about transformation magic and illusions. "Okay so I found a bunch of these books that all have different spells on transformation, shapeshifting, changing your elemental alignment, and a few that can permanently alter your form. I think I need all of them to fully understand-" she quit talking to Argon, as she noticed Mark nervously standing in front of them. "Dadwhyishehere." she suddenly grew fearful.
"He's your cousin." Argon explained. "Remember that talk we had last night, about your uncle being one of the gods? Well, this one also hates him so he's okay."
"Hey, Dawn." Mark nervously waved a greeting at her. "I'm really sorry that I scared you, yesterday. I didn't know...um. Look, this is all new to me, too. I had no idea what my dad's side of the family was like, and I sure as heck had no idea I was related to actual dragons."
Dawn was taken by surprise by that. She looked at Ikuki who just shrugged, trying not to laugh again as Mark was completely serious about that. "I guess you two seem okay, with him." she said to Nox and Ikuki. "He doesn't...scare you? Like, at all?"
Mark wanted to be offended by that, but she was just a child and to be fair, she had every right to be scared. He was scared, of himself. He didn't say anything in response, but instead looked to Ikuki, and she could see the anxiety in his eyes.
"No, I'm not. In fact, I love him. His heritage doesn't matter, what matters is the kind of person he is, on his own. I think you'll feel differently about him, once you get to know him like we do." she smiled sweetly at Dawn, who was still nervous.
Dawn looked to her dad, who gave her a nod, agreeing with Ikuki. She looked back at the trio and sighed; "Okay. It's nice to meet you, officially. And it's nice to see the both of you again, too." she smiled at Nox and Ikuki.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 12, 2023 21:35:14 GMT -6
Walking into this store was like a candy shop for Nox. The smell. The appearance. Hundreds upon hundreds of books lining the shelves. The lack of people. This whole area seemed like a gold mine for him. And he was in heaven over this.
It took an intense amount of power for himself, to keep close to Ikuki and Mark. After all, running off into the depths of a book store like this would most likely result in him never seeing another sun rise again. He’d be stuck inside of the store, reading through books and novels, learning.
Then there was this guy. Nox looked at him in confusion as the group moved over to him. When he greeted himself and exchanged thoughts about Chronos to Mark, Nox immediately felt like he was going to enjoy this person. Argon. Interesting name, he thought. But his mouth kept shut and smiled when he was introduced to him. He even waved.
But his silence was quickly ended when Dawn came into the scene. Carrying books within her arms, he was amazed on how enthusiastic she was about reading them. He wanted to help her carry them but seized when she realized that Mark was there. And started to panic.
When asked, Nox quickly smiled at her and said; “Absolutely not. Mark is like an adoptive Father to me. He’s really awesome. And...he’s just as weird as I am!” He grinned. “Meaning, we both like building things and watching them work!”
He then walked over to Dawn and offered to help her set the books on the table. Nox was certain that she had it under control but he still wanted to be a gentleman and help her out, regardless. “You really do love reading, don’t you?” He asked her with a grin. “This place...It’s so amazing that you have something like this here. I’d spend all day here, all week!” He then turned around and saw the towering shelves.
“This feels like home for me, if you want my honest opinion.” He then turned to Argon. “Pleasure to meet you though, sir. I have a brother too, but he’s not here.”
He returned his attention to Dawn. “What kind of books are you looking for? Is there anything I can do to help you? I...may be a complete novice, but I’d like to learn about some of this stuff at one point or another.”
- - - -
Once Josephine was done coloring the page, she held it out to him and smiled. “It looks so much better with that color! Thank you, Lux.” Josephine felt rather proud on how she remained within the lines of the drawing and how nicely she colored it. Plus, with the held of Lux picking out the color, the picture looked really pretty to her.
Josephine then placed the book back onto her lap. She asked; “Can I see what you were drawing?” But when she leaned over to see it, Lux pulled away his book, preventing her from being able to see what it was that he was working on.
She frowned at him. “Aw...no sneak peeks?” Josephine watched as he shook his head and smirked at her. Offended, she sank her back into the wall and puffed her cheeks. While sulking she heard him chuckle quietly which led her to say; “Well, that’s not fair. I showed you mine... Punk.”
Josephine then opened the book to another page and grabbed a pencil. “Fine then. If you’re going to be sassy to me.” She said to him with a bit of a sarcastic attitude. “Then I’m not going to show you what I’m coloring. So HAH.”
Lux glanced over to her to be quickly greeted with her sticking her tongue out at him. He smirked and looked back.
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Post by Moe on Nov 12, 2023 23:50:31 GMT -6
"Oh, um, thank you." Dawn smiled as Nox helped her with the books. She had been so enthusiastic about them, that she didn't realize how many she'd grabbed. "I've actually been researching ways to semi-permanently change my form, so I'm not expending all my magic keeping myself looking human all the time. Most dragons have a default human form that they can use to blend in, since in ancient times we were hunted to near-extinction. The thing is, it still requires magical focus. If we get knocked unconscious, then we revert to our default dragon forms. If I can find a way to change my form via incantation or enchantment, then I wouldn't have to worry about expending all my energy and focus on keeping my form and I can use it to focus on other kinds of magic."
"So, yes, I do love reading!" she smiled brightly. "I love writing, too! I love writing about all the kinds of people and creatures I've been studying, and all the magic I've been able to learn. Someday, I would love to write memoirs about all the interesting people I've met. Though, I'm not very social. So far, you three are the most interesting people I've talked to, for longer than a few minutes. Who knows, though! Maybe someday I'll write about you!"
Meanwhile, Mark smiled as Dawn and Nox seemed to be getting along. It was good that Nox had made a friend his own age. He also noticed Ikuki looking at the aisles as though she was trying to pinpoint a specific one to go to, but was hesitant. She'd brought up dark magic once before with him, and he had a feeling that's what she's been looking for. He leaned close to her and whispered, "I won't judge, if you want to go look." he smiled knowingly at her, as she was clearly looking in the direction of black magic. "If you summon any eldritch horrors, it'll give me a chance to see if demon-banishing is within my new skillset."
"This is how I know we are soulmates." Ikuki smiled as she started to bolt off in that direction. However, she stopped for a moment, backed up, and gave Mark a kiss on the cheek.
As the others took off to do their own things, Mark sat next to his uncle and leaned back on the sofa, as though he could finally take off his happy mask with them not watching. He couldn't explain why, but he felt oddly comfortable around Argon. Argon couldn't explain it either, and wished Mark would go away. He didn't hate him, he just wasn't very sociable and had absolutely no people skills.
However, Argon attempted to speak to his nephew. "You're under a lot of pressu-"
"I'm under so much pressure." Mark said at the exact same time Argon tried speaking to him.
"Believe me, I know the feeling." Argon huffed. "I've spent the last ten-thousand years fixing every mistake your father ever made, in space-time. He stole my inheritance and became a god, and I'm left cleaning up after him. Do I get any credit or worship? No. But the world would cease to exist if I didn't fix it. I know about pressure, all too well."
"How do you deal with it?" Mark asked.
"I don't." Argon answered. "It's always there. It's always going to be there. You just learn how to perceive it, differently. For the longest time, I felt as though I was the only one keeping the world from falling apart. That if I missed any tiny mistake, everything would fall apart. This was never something I asked for nor wanted, yet I was tasked with it anyway. Eventually, I learned to just stop trying."
"What?"
"You heard me. Stop trying so hard. The only one putting all this pressure on you, is yourself." Argon sipped on his coffee, not even bothering to look over at Mark.
"How can I? You're telling me to just stop caring?" there was a massive amount of offense in Mark's tone, as he spoke.
"No, of course not. From what little I was told about you, you seem to have more empathy than all the other gods combined. That's what makes you unique, amongst them. What I am telling you, is to stop trying to fix things that you can't fix." he looked over at Mark this time, noting his confused expression. "I don't know what's going on in your life, but I do know that I felt the exact same way when I was younger. I wanted to fix everything, make sure everything and everyone was perfect. But, there's no such thing as perfection. Yes, you might screw up, and yes, you might lose people you care about. But we can't have everything exactly the way we think things should be. The entire point of the gods creating humanity, was so they could have free will."
"Well, what good is being a god, if I can't help everyone?"
"If you could fix everyone, then the world would be bare." Argon sipped on his coffee, again. "You have dual-citizenship. You might be a god, but you're also human. You'll have the find the balance between the two, on your own. But when you do, that's when you'll truly ascend, should you accept."
Mark thought the words over, for a while and spent the next few minutes in silence, which Argon didn't seem to mind. Right as Mark decided to say something, Ikuki returned holding an ancient-looking tome. She didn't have space to sit on the sofa, and instead opted to sit in Mark's lap, which Argon gave them a slightly judgmental glance over. Mark just looked at him in return, and shrugged.
"Look at this!" she excitedly showed him the book. "This book might be as old as these buildings are, or even older! It's locked, though. I can't read what it says, the language looks so ancient that it wasn't even in any of our studies back at the monastery. I would love to be able to study it more, and see what kind of secrets lie inside." she leaned against Mark, hoping he'd get the hint.
"Ikuki, I know I said I wouldn't judge, but I am slightly worried about bringing home a mysterious locked book." Mark wasn't judging her at all, but he also didn't want to bring home something incredibly dangerous. The book was covered in an intricate detailing of metal, and aside from them not knowing what it did, it also had some tattered and sharp edges that caught the bandage on his arm, causing his cut to start bleeding again. "Okay, didn't think I'd need to be worried about tetanus, today." he gently moved the book away from his arm.
Argon, however, looked horrified. "That's blood magic. It only opens if you offer it your blood."
Ikuki and Mark both looked at him, as it took a moment for the information to sink in. Suddenly, it clicked with Ikuki. "Oh. OH. Oh, crap. So, what happens if you offer it....?" she looked to Mark, who seemed to only just now be realizing what had just happened.
"Pure gods don't bleed. This is new territory." Argon went pale as the jewels on the book started to glow, and the metal parts clicked open, unlocking the book.
"Maybe if you don't read anything at all, nothing will happen and it'll just lock itself back?" Mark said, nervously.
"Um," Ikuki gulped. "Does reading it silently count? Because I've already silently read a few incantations."
"Normally, no. Blood magic has to be read aloud, with intent. But nobody has ever used the blood of a god. Out of curiosity, which ones did you read?" Argon asked her.
"Uhhh...summoning the dead. Specifically the parts about where you can summon souls from the underworld, back into their bodies." she could feel the stares from both Mark and Argon, on her. "I'm sorry! I was curious! This book probably hasn't been opened for thousands of years, I had to read a little bit! I didn't realize it was an incantation for summoning the dead!" she suddenly felt extremely nervous and ashamed and scared. Mark just wrapped both arms around her in a hug, comforting her.
"Hey, it's okay." he said in a soft tone. "If you summoned the dead, then at least you finally know what your elemental alignment is, right?" he smiled nervously. He was trying to make her feel better, but the thought of his blood being used in dark rituals was also slightly terrifying. "Besides, nothing is happening. Maybe you do have to read it out loud."
And as if on cue, there was a blood-curdling scream just outside.
"Oh my god I am so sorry please don't hate me I promise I will never touch dark magic ever again." Ikuki panicked.
"If that's your alignment, then that's your alignment." Mark assured her. "If you just caused the zombie apocalypse, then that's one heck of a way to go. That's like, on my top three list of cool ways to die."
"Good god you two are weird." Argon said to them both.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 13, 2023 13:00:51 GMT -6
Nox was beyond ecstatic when she mentioned that she also liked writing. He clapped his hands together and said to her; “That’s brilliant! I never thought about writing anything myself but if you ever publish a book, I’d love to read it and see what amazing worlds you’ve created! Or…if it’s an informal one, I’d love to see what you put down for that!”
He then grinned when she mentioned that he was one of the more interesting people she’s met. “You have no idea how wild we are! I mean, we aren’t party animals or anything but where we come from and what we’ve been through would be an interesting start.” His face then fell as he knew that there was actually a lot of information missing. “Though my brother and I are going to have to do a lot more work into figuring out our own family history. We both have memories but they don’t always line up. So I’d be curious to figure out why we have one that remembers major events but the other doesn’t.” He shrugged.
“Maybe once we get older and more aware of how things work in life, perhaps you and I could even be partners!” He lost his train of thought for a moment before adding; “…in writing!” Nox was enthusiastic about the idea of working with someone on something.
Then when Ikuki brought out this really old book, Nox glanced over to it in curiosity. The thing was so strange looking. Metal bindings and how old it all looked.
He somewhat lost a little interest in what the others were doing when he noticed that one of the books Dawn had was about Alchemy. He plucked the book off the table and examined the title when he heard a scream outside. Nox jolted out of his chair. “Sounds like someone is in trouble or super scared!”
He then bolted outside to see who it was that was screaming.
—————
At one point, Josephine felt like she wanted to get something to drink. And so, she hopped out of her spot and closed the book so Lux couldn’t see what she was coloring. “I’m going to grab something to drink…and maybe munch. Want anything?”
At first, Lux felt like it was a little rude of him with allowing Josephine to go and grab the stuff she wanted. But when he motioned her to sit, she insisted that she could go and do it herself. Apparently, Josephine never got the concept of her being the visitor and that the host should be the one to offer such items.
“I’ll get you something anyways.” She smiled before heading out into the kitchen to locate Hope. She wanted to make sure it was okay for her to get the items first, before diving around in Mark's pantry and fridge.
Shortly after, she returned with some apple slices and juice. She plopped down beside Lux and slid the plate over to him so they could share the food together. Josephine had gotten him a small juice box and handed it over. It was unopened but she knew he was capable of doing it himself anyway.
“You…didn’t have to do that.” Quietly Lux said to her.
“Eh, it’s fine. If I’m not supposed to then I’m sure I’ll get lectured about it later.” She said with a shrug. “I’m always being yelled at by someone.” Then there was a grin.
Lux looked down at his picture and contemplated on whether or not he wanted to add anything else to it. And when he glanced back up to Josephine, he noticed that she was staring at something outside the window. He grinned at her and said; “Want to see something?”
“what?” She asked. Josephine then watched as Lux showed her what he was working on. She was struck by surprise when she saw that he had been drawing her when she was focused on her coloring book.
“Woah…” she said as she plucked the book out from his hands and looked it over. “You’re so good at drawing, Lux. This is amazing!” She smiled at him. “You’re so talented!”
He shrugged as he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. When she gave it back, Lux started to tear it out of the book to give it to her. But she placed her hand on the page, stopping him. Confused, he looked up to her in curiosity.
“Keep it in there!” She chimed. “You should make this sketchbook about good memories. You can look back at this and think: Wow! I have a weird friend.”
Lux snorted in humor.
“Things will get better. I promise, Lux.” She smiled.
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Post by Moe on Nov 13, 2023 16:55:10 GMT -6
When Nox started to run outside, he was quickly swept back by a shadowy blur that gently took him back to the table with Dawn. The figure in question was a dragon, who was not much larger than Mark was, tall. He had dark gray scales that glinted a slight purple, and a black mane from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. His horns were a vastly different color than the rest of him, being the same light blueish-green shade as Mark's ears. He barely fit in the indoor space, but kept his wings tucked in tightly.
He looked over at Nox, both anger and fear is his eyes, but not directed at Nox himself. "What they just did, has never been done before. I don't want either of you going outside until they deal with the problem they caused." he snorted in Mark and Ikuki's direction.
The two of them were already out the door, witnessing not one, but multiple skeletal figures emerging from the softer ground. Underneath wooden floors, paved sidewalks and concrete, they could hear and feel the scratching of more bodies clamoring to get out. The skeletal figures contorted and twisted, as their bodies glowed an ethereal hue as their souls reattached themselves. Flesh began to grow over the bones, until they looked...well. Normal. The ones that were able to dig their way out of the ground, were confused and horrified at where they were, looking around and almost as terrified as the residents around them. Of course, things were only made worse by the realization that hundreds, if not thousands more were still buried underground and dying a second, even more gruesome death. That, or they were being kept alive by magic and in a constant state of being crushed and not being able to breathe.
"Huh. I was expecting more...I dunno. Decaying flesh?" Mark observed as the newly-resurrected people stood in a state of shock.
"Well, normally you can either bring back the body or the summon the soul. There's never been a case of being able to bring back both, unless you pretty much make a deal with a demon or evil deity." Ikuki flipped through the book, desperate to try and find something relevant. "Even then, it's only once. A life for a life, soul for a soul sort of deal. To just bring back hundreds of souls from the underworld that have been dead for thousands of years..." she started to panic as she was unable to find anything that could explain what had happened and how to reverse it.
The world around Mark went mute. No sounds, and the world went blank as he lost himself in his own head, again. "Am I..." he held his arm, tightly. The metal hanging off from the book caused his cut to re-open, and him squeezing it so tightly was causing it to drip blood through the bandage and onto the ground. "Am I an evil deity?" he whispered quietly to himself, or at least it sounded that was as he couldn't actually hear himself speak over the loud thoughts in his head.
He was lost in his own thoughts, not paying any mind to the recently-resurrected started to scatter and scramble; some of them tried attacking the residents in a panic and out of fear, some of them because they suspected witchcraft, some because they were so ancient they didn't understand modern languages or clothing, some of them were simply angry in death and it carried over. One of them was wearing tattered clothes that looked as though he could have been a pirate, and he held an old rusty gun to Mark and Ikuki, that confirmed that.
Mark had no reaction, but Ikuki held the book up and yelped. "Please don't hurt us! It was an accident! I'm trying to fix it!" she pleaded.
The pirate observed the book, and clicked his pistol in an attempt to shoot not Ikuki, but the book. "Damn it." he cursed as nothing came out. Seemed as though the pistol was so old, it no longer worked. "How long has it been?" he sighed an exasperated sigh.
"Um, pardon?" Ikuki peeked from behind the book.
"Since I've been dead. I was hanged for bringing that accursed thing into town." he tapped on the book with the end of his pistol. "Was trying to hide it from witches, like you. Tried to prevent this exact thing from happening! If you managed to do it, then Chronos must certainly be around, as well?"
Mark's ears twitched at the mention of his father. He didn't want to say anything to this pirate about him being the new Chronos, or that he had a hand in summoning so many dead. "You...seem really chill for someone who's been brought back to life." was all he could manage to say.
The pirate sighed, drew his sword, swung around and sliced the throat of one of the more violent ones. They didn't bleed from the wound, but rather their ethereal soul was spat out and the body once more crumbled to a skeleton. "Chronos was after that book, a long time ago. It was made by one of the primordial gods, themselves. While all the gods could use it, Chronos is the only one that could have used his blood to summon the dead, from all different periods of time."
Ikuki glanced over at Mark, who was still hesitant to say anything. Instead, he shifted his focus on a family that was being terrorized by several soldiers. In the blink of an eye, the soldiers were suddenly gone and sitting atop the roof of a neighboring building, out of the way and out of trouble. The pirate noticed Mark suddenly being in another spot from where he was standing, and it suddenly clicked.
"He's my dad. I'm nothing like him." Mark clarified, before the pirate could attack him. "This was an accident. The book just cut my arm, neither of us knew this was going to happen."
"But I can fix it!" Ikuki said. "I...I think I can fix it! There has to be a way to reverse the spell, right??"
"If you can figure out how to use magic that was made for the gods, be my guest!" the pirate said. "But please, do hurry! The blood of the child between Time and humanity was used...you didn't just raise a few dead, here. You raised all of the dead!"
"Oh. Okay. No pressure." Ikuki squeaked.
"Yeah, same." Mark agreed, suddenly having one hell of an existential crisis. He tried to shake it off, to be strong for Ikuki. "Go inside, maybe Nox can see something we missed. I'm going to help...um..."
"Oliver." the pirate finally introduced himself.
"I'm going to help Oliver keep these guys out." he leaned into Ikuki, giving her a loving kiss. "It might have been my blood that screwed everything up, but you found your element. I know you've got this." he smiled at her.
Ikuki leaned into the kiss as well, and simply nodded when he told her to head back inside. She couldn't find the mental capacity to say anything, but rushed back inside, safe from the dead. She slammed the book down on the table, finally able to let a breath out and allow herself to show panic for the first time since meeting everyone. "I need help finding out how to reverse this! A way to carry their souls back to the underworld, all at once! One big cancel button!" she frantically pleaded for their help.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 13, 2023 18:16:01 GMT -6
Nox was caught off guard when he was pulled back into the library and placed back where he was. He glanced over to see a dragon, which scared the daylights out of him. Argon looked angry, menacing, terrifying. And when he told him to remain inside, Nox couldn’t do anything else but to sit down and listen. “Yes, sir.” He abruptly said to him.
While they went out to investigate, Nox glanced down at his phone to see if he received any messages from Josephine. But he didn’t. A part of him really wanted to check up on them. But he feared that he may be annoying her and an annoyed Josephine, was a scary one. So he placed the phone back into his pocket.
“Sorry.” He said to Dawn and Argon, feeling like he was being a little rude. “My brother is having some....hangups right now. So...I wanted to see if his friend updated me on it. But she hasn’t. So I think I’m just worrying too much.” He laughed a bit sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.
After a few minutes of awkward moments of silence, Nox mumbled; “I wonder...what’s going on out there though?” He could hear murmurs and more screams from the outside of the building. His curiosity was stinging him and he was losing his ability to fight the urge. But if it wasn’t for Argon being there, he would’ve tried to go out and have a peek.
Then Ikuki came in and slammed the book down. Nox jumped in his seat and looked at the big old book. She then requested help with trying to find a reverse to the magic she casted. He wasn’t sure how bad it actually was, but he figured to do whatever he could to help her out the best way he could.
“I’m...not an expert but I’ll do my best.” He said to her. “Uh...so what exactly happened? Did you summon a Cthulu or something?” Then he inched closer to the book. “Can I see the page that you opened to? Maybe if I get a better idea of what you summoned, I can help?”
- - - - -
“I know it’s probably hard talking a bunch...” Josephine said as she seated herself. “And there’s a lot of crazy out there in the world that we live in. But I just want to let you know...that to me? You’re my best friend.” She said as she held open her book with a completely colored page. On it, said “Best friends!” And under it, she had wrote in Joe & Lux.
She smiled at him. “Honest! You’re so cool. I just...hope that even when I go back home. We can still talk to each other and play...”
Lux wanted to tell her that he didn’t think they’d ever stop being friends. In truth, he liked hanging out with her. She was as weird as him. And it was nice meeting someone who’s a bit on the crazy side. But when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. And so, he reached over and lay his hand on top of hers. Giving her a small squeeze.
Josephine was confused. “Eh? Are your hands cold?”
Lux laughed and shook his head. He then motioned with his hands, sign language. ”We’ll always be friends.” When she didn’t understand it, he grabbed her picture and wrote “Forever” under the “Best Friends” sentence. He then pointed to it with a smile.
“OH! And here I thought you were cold. Because...well you have a blanket and whatnot.” She giggled. “Well, that’s good to know that you want to be friends forever!”
He smiled to her before leaning back into his spot. Lux grabbed his sketchbook again and opened it to a new page. Josephine then smiled at him and started to color on a newer page. Happy, that she knew that Lux wanted to still be her best friend.
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Post by Moe on Nov 13, 2023 20:09:25 GMT -6
Argon snorted at Ikuki, but trusted her enough that the kids would be okay with her. "Stay with her." he growled, directing his sentence at both Dawn and Nox, before bolting out the doors to help Mark keep the dead at bay.
"Please don't set the town on fire oh he's already gone." Dawn tried to caution, to no avail. "Okay, what Nox said. We need to know exactly what happened before we can start to reverse-spellcast."
Ikuki tried to breathe in and out, in an attempt to calm her anxiety. "Apparently this book was made by one of the gods. If I had to guess, I would say the goddess of Good and Evil. A piece of frayed metal filigree cut Mark, and his blood may have um. Brought back everyone who's ever died, in all of history." she laughed nervously.
"See? I told you!" Dawn sat up in her seat. "I told you the gods always mess up everything they touch!"
"It wasn't his fault, Dawn!" Ikuki tried to get her to sit back down, so they could figure out how to reverse the spell. "I'm the one who brought the book to him, without knowing what it was. I'm the one who read the incantation, I'm the one whose element is dark magic, and I'm the one who knew from the moment I met him, what he is! If you're going to blame anyone, blame me!" she finally couldn't hold back all her worries, anymore. "Mark was doing just fine before I walked into his life, and told him that he's a god. I didn't know he had a kid to take care of, and I feel like I've taken him away from her because all he does now is worry about how his new abilities can help everyone else. I feel like everything going on between him and Lux was my fault, for making him aware of his new powers. Now I've accidentally made him raise the dead, and I don't know how to fix it! It's my fault for putting all of this pressure on him, in the first place, so I have to act like the happy, upbeat positive one to keep him from hurting himself again!"
She buried her face in her arms on the table, trying her best not to scream all the emotions out.
Dawn wasn't sure what to do or say to offer comfort, so she just slid the book over, between her and Nox, and flipped through some of the pages. She was cautious about saying anything out loud, in fear of Ikuki freaking out again, and tried to be as quiet as possible.
"Did you find anything?" Ikuki mumbled.
"Ikuki, this is all ancient primordial magic. Only the gods are capable of doing any of this." Dawn continued flipping through the pages, trying to find something, anything. "To bring a person's soul back into their body, requires a deal. For something on this scale, you'd have to summon Anubis." her voice started to faulter as scratches and thunks could be heard and felt from underneath the floorboards, as corpses tried to scratch their way out. "You and Mark were able to do something together that shouldn't have been possible, so I know you're capable of understanding this magic. There are summoning spells in here, you just have to contact Anubis." she slid the book back to Ikuki.
"I can't! I've tried astral projecting and making contact, I can't do it without Mark's help!" Ikuki panicked.
"You do have his help! His blood activated the book, just put your whole heart into it like you did when you summoned the dead!" Dawn tried encouraging her.
"My whole heart..." Ikuki stared at the book. She slid her finger across the same bit of filigree that cut into Mark, and pressed into it hard enough to make her bleed. "I'm tired of needing help!" she pressed her bloodied finger into the summoning page, and watched as it magically soaked it into the spell. "I'm tired of messing everything up! I'm tired of not being good enough! I don't want to need help from Mark! I don't want to need help from Anubis! I want to do this, myself!" she yelled as the ancient letters on the pages began to glow. "This is my whole heart, this is my truth! I wanted to raise the dead, I needed to know what power I was capable of, and now I want to send them back where they belong!" she shouted into the book. "This is my truth, coming from my heart!"
The skeletons and rotten flesh burst through the floors as she shouted into the book, but it seemed to have accepted her truths and the corpses all sunk back down into the ground. Whether it was over or not, she didn't know, but she could tell that it at least wasn't going to get any worse.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 13, 2023 20:50:53 GMT -6
Nox couldn’t even let his brain register what was going on until Ikuki burst. He froze in his seat, looking at her as she sank her whole heart into admitting that the whole scenario was her fault and that she felt horrible for the things Mark was going through. She admitted that it was her fault the blood got mixed and everything. And all Nox could do was sit there, frozen like a gargoyle on top of a church. But instead of a church, it was a chair that even his feet couldn’t touch the ground on.
When Ikuki place her head down into her arms, he had the urge to give her a hug. “Ikuki?” He whispered to her while Dawn had taken the book from them to look it over. Nox slowly poked her in the arm and tilted his head towards her.
Then without warning, he gave her a hug. And he didn’t want to let go of her. “There’s a lot going on and a lot no one knew about. No one is completely wrong. So don’t blame everything on yourself. You’re doing the best you can to help us understand, as well as yourself. So please, take a deep breath.... We’re going to get through this. I know we will. We always do.”
He then rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. Nox hated seeing any one of his friends have a meltdown. Mark was prone to it. Lux was...a catastrophe right now. And Ikuki? He knew she was struggling to keep that smile on her face and pretend everything was okay. But even she had her own struggles and her own mysteries to solve.
He finally let go when Ikuki asked if Dawn discovered anything. At first, Nox felt bad that he threw all of the researching onto Dawn and didn’t do a single bit himself. But at the same time, he just couldn’t hold back trying to calm Ikuki down and hope that she knows, to him, she matters just as much as Mark and his own brother do.
The zombies were trying to claw their way through the floors. Their rotting corpse stench could be smelled and Nox had to pull his scarf over his nose. One zombie reached for his foot, grabbing a hold of it for only a split second before Nox kicked at it, knocking its arm off. He then pulled his legs up on top of the chair, nearing a panic mode. But unlike his brother, Nox didn’t have any strange powers come from him.
As Ikuki confessed her feelings and threw in her own demands, everything suddenly went quiet. It was eerie. It was spooky. And the creatures that clawed their way out from the ground, seized. There was nothing left but the overwhelming awkwardness of everyone being in shock.
Nox finally lowered his feet to the floor and tapped it with his foot. Nothing came about from it as he turned to Ikuki, wide eyed and in shock himself. His mouth hung open and his skin appeared pale in the dim light.
Was Nox going to freak? Was he going to scream? Was he going to run away from Ikuki and avoid her?
“That. Was. So. FREAKY!” Nox flailed his legs in the air with absolute enthusiasm. “Ikuki! That was amazing! You did it! I think you did it! You are so cool! Like...did you see them claw their way out from the floor? The skin falling off and their bones? Plus the stinky smell? Oh the Cosmos. You must be some type of necromancer or...or dark mage! Or...” He then clamped his hand over his mouth, knowing that some people wouldn’t find any of this good.
He then mumbled through his fingers; “You are so stinkin’ cool!”
- - - - - -- -
Narrowing her eyes as she tilted her page and glanced at the art she was beginning to color. A singular question came to mind. She felt that it may be something worth asking, considering how interactive Lux has been. Though, she knew that she probably shouldn’t make things worse by talking but she had to ask him. It was just eating away at her, the longer she waited.
“Lux?” She said as her eyes remained on the paper. “What...do you want to be when you grow up?”
He only looked at her.
“I...want to be a trainer or maybe a professional skateboarder.” She said to him. “Like, being a hero would be amazing and all. But...like...if I can teach people how to fight enemies back and to think on their feet by analyzing what’s before them...I dunno...” She looked down at her coloring pencils and shrugged. “I’m a little all over the place. But I’d like to do something that my Mom and Uncle do.”
Lux was still quietly listening.
“Mom is so amazing at fighting. She applies dance moves to her attacks and she’s so quick. But then my Uncle is so smart with reading his enemies moves and can counter them...” She knew she shouldn’t talk about her family again but she couldn’t help it. “I just want to be that person that someone can come to that can be taught how to use their fists, when magic or technology cannot work. You know?”
Josephine’s face fell when Lux said nothing on the matter. “Sorry, I keep talking about them...”
“I don’t know what I want to be anymore.” He whispered.
“No?” Josephine tilted her head at him.
Lux shrugged. “Probably won’t amount to anything anyway. So I may as well just...not have any goals.”
Josephine frowned at him. “Why do you put yourself down so much?” She watched him as he shrugged. “Come on, Lux. You’re in a really rough spot. You can make it. You’re so talented.”
“People keep saying that...But everything I touch just...turns against me.”
“No one is turning against you.” She said with a bigger frown. “I haven’t. Nox hasn’t. And I’m sure the others haven’t either. What do you wish you can be when you grow up? What....would you like to be?”
He paused and thought it over. Then applied another shrug. “A hero I guess...but I don’t think I have-“
“Then you shall become a hero!” Josephine knew exactly what he was going to say and interrupted him on purpose because of it. “Lux! The mighty hero! I can see it now! You can be like Captain Hoot! He was a Captain of a Starship that was pretty much a flying wreck. But he and his men, would go to these small villages and help them out. Until one day, he came across the evil Doctor LeQuack and discovered that people were becoming mindless drones to do his evil work! And Captain Hoot had to go against his Headquarters wishes and do everything he could to save the planet!”
“That’s a comic book...”
“But he’s a good hero to read about.” Josephine grinned. “And he’s funny too.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 14, 2023 11:24:14 GMT -6
Nox coming over to hug her and comfort her was surprising, but Ikuki wasn't going to protest. In fact, it was a sweet gesture. She smiled at his comforting words, and agree. They were going to get through this, and not just the dead. Everyone had high emotions right now, not knowing what the future had in store. "We've all got each other's backs." she smiled in response.
When the noises and the dead had finally settled inside the building, everyone else was eerily quiet for a while, until Nox finally broke the silence with his excited clamoring. Ikuki couldn't help but feel a bit of pride and accomplishment, even though they very nearly messed things up big time, she still did that and she was still proud of that.
"Well, I do admit, that was very cool!" she agreed with Nox. "This book clearly contains spells regarding dark and blood magic, but speaking from the heart entails that there's good in it, too. I believe it was indeed written by the goddess who embodied both good and evil. That means...maybe I can learn dark magic, without the fear of being corrupted, if I can understand it better. I think I would like to purchase this book, to study it more." she said with the biggest smile.
"Okay, I guess I'm the only normal one here because I'm traumatized for life." Dawn finally spoke. "But, that's still pretty cool that you and....him..." she referred to Mark. "Are able to use magic, together. As terrifying as this all was, the possibilities are fascinating. If...if it's okay with you...I'd like to stay in touch and visit more often, so I can write about you! All of you!" she smiled at Nox. "You all have this um, connected energy? Like, you're all connected to each other. Sim-bot?" she struggled to find the right word.
"Symbiotic?" Ikuki said.
"Yeah, that! You all bring out the best and the most potential in each other!" Dawn smiled brightly.
----------------
The corpses outside had at least stopped coming, but the ones who were already risen were still very much active. Ikuki had clearly figured something out, to stop more dead from rising, but it didn't stop the ones that already had. "Interesting." Argon huffed, as he shook off the disembodied arm that had grabbed onto him. "So she figured out how to stop summoning the dead. Now it's your turn." he looked to Mark.
"My turn? I didn't do anything!" Mark was busy trying to fend off a caveman, who kept trying to grab his glasses.
"It was your blood that started the spell! You raised every corpse from every part of history!" Argon growled at him. "Right after talking with me about how much pressure you've been under; You clearly do not have a handle on your powers! Ikuki figured out her part, now you have to figure out yours!"
Mark finally just froze the caveman in time; "Okay, another new ability." he sighed. He thought about Argon's words, and he was right. Mark was under a lot of pressure, and he kept having visions about the past that he couldn't control. He kept worrying about what the future held in store. He couldn't focus on any point in time, so it made sense that no specific dead was summoned from any specific point in time. "They're right." he said to himself. "I've got to focus on the present, and stop lying to myself."
He had immense power he wasn't ready to accept, or deal with. Over the last few weeks, he'd been able to do things he couldn't explain. Although he didn't say the words out loud, in his heart he finally accepted that this was just a part of him, for as long as it took him to come to a decision about godhood. He wasn't okay with it by any means, but he knew that he wasn't going to come to an immediate decision and accepted that he would just have to deal with the crazy new abilities, until then. "The past is in the past, for a reason. If our fate was going to be changed, it's going to be changed as we live. We're not supposed to know what the future has in store, so that's why we do the best we can, in the present."
He didn't know why he said what he did, but it felt truthful. Heartfelt. And as he spoke, the living corpses began to sinking back into the ground, their souls able to be returned back into their afterlives. Oliver turned back to face Mark, giving him a smirk of approval. "Good show." were the last words he spoke, before his soul was finally able to be at peace.
"You," Argon shifted back into his human form, and walked toward Mark. He looked angry, but he had looked angry from the moment they met. "Are already leagues wiser than your father, and grandfather. I don't care what your father told you. You don't have to make a decision, so quickly. Just think about the pros and the cons, however long it takes. Whatever choice you make, isn't going to change who you are at your core." he set a hand on Mark's shoulder, which was oddly comforting.
As supportive as his mother and sister were, he'd never really had family that accepted him for who he is. Chronos was pushing him to become something else, and he was terrified of his mother and sister disowning him if he became a god, one not of their own religion. After a moment of silence, Mark finally couldn't hold it in any longer, he finally completely dropped his metaphorical mask and embraced Argon in a tight hug, taking the dragon off guard. Argon patted him on the back, not really sure what else to do. "Um. Are you...alright?" he asked Mark.
"No. No, I'm not." Mark sobbed into Argon's shoulder, but he didn't elaborate and Argon didn't pressure him to. He just let Mark feel what he needed to feel, in the moment.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 14, 2023 11:46:30 GMT -6
Nox couldn’t help but laugh at Dawn’s reaction. It was definitely appropriate. A lot of chaotic things were unfolding. Ikuki was getting involved with the magic she had interest in. Nox...well he still didn’t read any of his alchemy books but he was alright with that. And Dawn was still trying to get used to the crazy folks she encountered at the store not too long ago. To them, they were still strangers.
He clapped his hands together with absolute enthusiasm. Everything was so strange to him too but it was enlightening. Exciting. It was leagues better than being at home with Reese and causing mayhem with the arrogant jerk that he was. Nox couldn’t help but speak with absolutely high energy which was just biding for him into allowing it all to break through. “This is so awesome! I knew I’d have a blast coming out here! Magic, zombies, seeing my dragon friend again, and all of these books galore! This has been so freakin’ AWESOME.”
He slammed his hands onto the table, expressing his excitement even more. “Man! Who would’ve thought magic could be this...this...this...” Nox was so energized by this that he couldn’t even think of the proper word to describe it. “AH! Ikuki, you seriously are the best.”
Then a thought crossed his mind. Similar to his brother’s. “Oh no!” He gasped as he flailed, suddenly switching from excitement to panic. “If you brought back the dead, how do we know you didn’t accidentally bring back our parents? Like... Uh...Uh...” He ruffled his hair again, trying to process everything.
“I am nothing like my brother in terms of the longing to change the past and whatnot. Believe me. I understand that...well, it’s a part of their destiny to fall at the age and time they did.” He tried to make sure Ikuki understood that he wasn’t going to have a meltdown like his brother would’ve, had he learned about this event. “But...if you brought back so many dead people...”
He flailed a bit more. “SORRY! I am not being a downer or anything. Or even getting my hopes up. But like... That would be so weird. How would we explain that to him?” Nox then flailed a bit then remembered that Mark had mentioned that he didn’t think their Mother was dead. “Wait...I think I’m getting ahead of myself. Hold on, let me breathe.”
With an exaggerated movement, because he was still excited over the whole event that happened, he threw himself off the chair in a great motion. Landing flat on his back on the floor. Breathing as much air as he could, to only hold his breath until he couldn’t any longer. He then slapped his head a few times. He could sense people were looking at him but he didn’t care. If this was how he calmed himself down, then so be it.
“Okay. Brain.” He sat upright, slightly calmer now. His glasses were askew on his face but he didn’t notice. “..............Huh... I think I hurt myself. I’m okay though.”
Calmly he looked to Ikuki. “So...uh...” Then he looked to Dawn, as she was more than likely staring at him like he was absolutely bonkers. “...I think I got it out of my system.”
- - - - - -
When Josephine was met with grave silence from Lux, she took a small glance at him to see that he was returning to being mopey again. His face was glum and he sank back into his spot once more. And that’s when she finally had enough of playing the good friend. She slammed her book closed and threw it onto her bag. Which was then followed by her grabbing her pencils and tossing them into it as well.
“What are you doing?” Asked Lux as she ripped a pencil out from his hand and threw it into her backpack.
“I’m done.” She snapped at him. “I’m calling Davis to pick me up. I’m going home. I can’t do this anymore.” When he asked her what she meant by it, Josephine snapped at him. “I’m trying to be the friend you need, Lux. I want to be that best friend that you can talk to and feel good with. I want to see you smile again. I miss your laugh and your jokes. I don’t know what happened between then and now, but I hate it. I hate what you’ve become.”
She threw her bag over he shoulders and stepped away from him. Josephine waved her hands at him before returning them to the straps of her bag. “You want to cry that you’re weak then...you are. Because he’s winning and you’re letting him.”
“You don’t know what I-“
“Lux. You want to hear a sob story? I know yours.” She spat at him. “I was kidnapped from my parents. I was trapped in a raiders camp and treated like I was a nobody.The Leader told everyone that I was a defect so they could be afraid of me. No one would look at me or even speak to me. If they did? It was met with fist fights or threats of being killed. I had to fight for my own food.” She stomped her foot. “I knew I didn’t belong there and I could feel that I had a family...out there somewhere looking for me. I’ve spent six years living in that Hell. I dreamed of being with my parents, whoever they were and hoped they’d be better than the place I was in.”
She paused to catch her breath. “But you want to know something?” She then jabbed him in the chest with each of the following words. “I. Never. Lost. Hope.” Josephine pulled back and returned her hand to the strap again.
“At least you escaped it!” He hissed at her.
Josephine hissed back at him. Her hair beginning to burn in rage as she glared at him. “And you can too if you can stop being such a wimp.” She saw him look offended but Josephine didn’t give him a chance to speak. “You don’t realize how many are in your corner, Lux. You have; myself, Mark, Ikuki, and your brother Nox.” She then repeated; “Your own twin brother. Don’t you realize how amazing that feels, knowing your own twin is right behind you?” She could relate to this because she too was a twin sister.
But once again, she didn’t let him speak. “You must really like drowning. Because right now, you’re wearing cement shoes in the middle of the ocean and you keep putting them on after we get them off. So you keep sinking deeper and deeper.”
“It’s so hard Joe. I can’t...” He then was promptly let with a sharp slap to the face. Lux staggered back, holding onto his cheek, staring at her.
“Snap out of it. Whatever dumpster fire you fell in, get the heck out of it. Because I’ll slap you harder next time. And it will hurt more and more until you finally get it through your stupid thick skull that not everyone hates you. And those who do like you, treasure you as their best friend. So stop it. Stop being stupid.”
Lux fell silent as he listened to her sharp words.
She noticed that she was getting under his skin. A part of her felt bad for it. Josephine really didn’t want to hurt him and make him feel lesser than he already did. But she just couldn’t handle his attitude anymore. “Lux...” She said, fighting back her emotions. “I just...wish you could understand... I wish my parents or...Mark and Ikuki could sweep you away from Reese. I really do. But you need to stand up and face him. Stop being afraid of a school yard bully. He’s not worth ruining your life, over.”
Lux looked down at his discarded sketchbook.
When she didn’t get a response of any kind, she turned away and pulled out her phone. “I’m going.”
“Wait...” Lux said as he grabbed for her arm. “How...can I do this? I...have so much...going on...” He let go of her and held his own head. “I haven’t slept good in days. I...honestly don’t remember when I did sleep well...I don’t know how to handle all of this...this...me.” His shoulders sank. “Please don’t leave. I need you...please...”
“Well...You need to start trying.” She sharply said to him. “Or else, you can find another best friend.”
He was taken aback by her blunt words. “Where do I even start?”
She then jabbed him in the chest. “With you.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 14, 2023 14:42:21 GMT -6
Ikuki couldn't help but smile at Nox's enthusiasm, as well as laugh a little at the whole situation. "I guess we've all been discovering things about ourselves, lately." she smiled. Of course, the mood didn't last as Nox mentioned his parents, which is something that didn't occur to Ikuki. Suddenly the air grew awkward, as she wasn't sure what to say regarding that.
"Doing what we just did, was wrong." she finally spoke. "Raising the bodies of the dead is one thing, as well as summoning a soul without a body. But the reach in and grab their peaceful souls from their afterlife, and shoving them back into their decayed bodies...that's not something that should ever be done, regardless of intent. At least, not without the dead's consent. What we just did...we don't know what afterlife we pulled their souls, from. It could have been a paradise, or a damnation. Either way, to suddenly put them back into such immense pain like that...it can and did turn them violent. Neither of you need to see your parents, like that."
She and Dawn exchanged glances when Nox flopped to the floor, and all Ikuki could do was shrug at Dawn, as she had no idea how to explain to her what he was doing.
"You're so weird." Dawn told him as he sat back in his seat. "But I like that. You keep things entertaining." she smiled.
After everything had settled down outside, Argon brought Mark back inside and had him sit down at the table, to just relax and breathe for a little bit. "Everything is fine, now." Argon told them. "He doesn't need to be bombarded with questions, at the moment. Dawn?" he looked to his daughter. "I need to report this, to Athena." he motioned for her to follow him.
"Aw. Okay. We gotta go do boring stuff." Dawn pouted. "Here," she grabbed Nox's hand and scribbled something on it, with a pen. "This is my number. We should hang out again, without the zombies."
"I don't have a number." Argon looked to Mark. "But should you ever wish to..um..'hang out'.." he said, quoting Dawn; "Just reach out to me, the same way you did with the others."
"Yeah. Sure. If you want to join our family Christmas, I'm totally getting you a cellphone, though." Mark tried to laugh, but couldn't make himself smile.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 14, 2023 15:08:58 GMT -6
When he was called weird, Nox couldn’t help but grin at her while sitting on the floor. He felt rather proud to be called that, actually. “Thank you!” He sang to her in a cheerful tone. “I don’t get to show myself like this too often. But uh...” He scratched his nose. “I feel that my brother may be the normal one. As in...calmer...well...” He then scrunched his nose.
“Maybe not right now. He’s in a uh...” He snapped his fingers a few times to get the right word he was looking for. “A faze? Fad? Moment?” Nox waved on. “Whatever. It’s one of those things. But anyway!” He turned to Ikuki. “No, I understand what you’re saying. At least, for the most part. I’m not going to pressure you into doing that again. Because...well...” He wasn’t sure what else to really say on the matter.
He then shrugged as he didn’t want to be the bringer of depression. Nox hopped to his feet and dusted himself off. “Any who...I think you got this.”
Then Mark and Argon came into the room. Shortly after, Dawn was going to be pulled away from them. Nox felt down because he was really having a lot of fun with Ikuki and Dawn. He was really beginning to feel like himself and it was great. There was a sense of odd humor deep within his nerdy and quiet outlook.
But then. His hand was grabbed and Dawn wrote her number on his hand. When he pulled it back to look at it, he didn’t even hear what she had to say. Because he was just that excited. “IKUKI! MARK! I GOT A GIRL’S NUMBER!”
Out of sheer excitement, he immediately entered her number into his phone and sent her a text that said; “Hi friend! :3“
He was just so tickled pink over the idea that he finally has a friend, that he completely forgot about his alchemy books that he wanted to pick up and read. Nox sat down at the table and was singing to himself. His happiness level was most likely pretty high for the time being. And a part of him cannot wait to talk to Lux about it.
- - - - - - -
Lux looked down at his, now sore, chest and thought her words over. It was clear to him that he had pushed his friend over the edge and now she was the one that was swimming away from him. He wanted to grab a hold of her boat and go with her. But as she said, those cement shoes that were bound tightly around his feet and were preventing him from saving himself.
He wanted to feel angry. He wanted to hate her for being so harsh to him. Her words stung really badly, far worse than any bee stings he’s ever faced. But instead of being angry with her, he just felt disappointed. Not in her, but himself. She had come over to the house to help him feel better. She had all intentions on trying to help him get out of the muck. But all he did was dig himself deeper and deeper. And now? Even she was drained from all of her good will.
Just like everyone else, as it seemed.
Lux turned to the side, thinking over her words a bit more carefully. He had no idea on how to even start bettering himself. But what he did understand was, she was right about Reese. His fear of going back home was clouding his thoughts and drowning his feelings of hope and self-confidence. It was perhaps his fear that was driving him down into the abyss.
She started to walk away from him. Her phone was ringing, as from what he could hear. Josephine meant what she said and she was going to request Davis to pick her up. Her presence was well-spent and it was all for nothing. Because Lux knew, there was a lot more brewing in the back of his mind.
Josephine let out an irritated growl as Davis never picked up. So she dialed again. She even went as far as going outside to get some air. Because she needed it.
Lux shook his head and tossed his blanket off his shoulders. He didn’t care that he was still in his dinosaur pajamas. The boy threw himself onto his feet and took off, out of the room and headed outside where Josephine was standing.
He saw her, still trying to call Davis. His luck, Davis wasn’t very good at answering his phone. So this offered him a chance to do something. Lux then ran over to Josephine and just clamped down onto her, a tight hug that he didn’t want to let go from.
“What the hell are you doing? Get off.” Josephine hissed as she was already too furious to deal with him. “Go back in your room and mope.”
“No.” He said as he was met with her hand pressed against his face, she was attempting to push him away. But he continued to hold on. “Please don’t give up on me. I’ll try. I’ll try to be better. I promise you.”
“Sure.” She said in disbelief as she gave up trying to shake him off. Josephine glared out towards the side. Davis still hadn’t picked up and she was growing more annoyed with him than she was over Lux hugging her.
“Please...”
Josephine rolled her eyes and grumbled; “Stop begging. You sound like such a dweeb.” But when he continued to hug her, though less aggressively, she let out a deep sigh. “Look. I’ll give you another chance. But you NEED to start doing better.” Josephine felt him let loose of his hug but kept her within his arms.
“Let’s stay outside for a bit and just...lay on the grass.” She then gently pushed him away and headed over to a nice patch of grass to flop down in. They both heaved a heavy sigh as they watched the clouds float across the sky.
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Post by Moe on Nov 14, 2023 16:08:21 GMT -6
Dawn giggled as Nox immediately texted her, happy to have made her first friend. She excitedly waved goodbye at them, as Argon lead them out of the bookstore. Mark couldn't help but smile at their interaction, since this was the most excited and most social he had seen Nox, since they'd met. "I'm really glad you made a friend your age, Nox." he said to him.
"A friend who's also a girl." Ikuki smirked as she leaned over.
"Hey, at least they're into the same things." Mark said, completely missing the cues.
Ikuki rolled her eyes, but was amused that neither of them seemed to get the hint. It seemed as though they could tease others all they wanted to, but when it was time to dish out the same treatment, they were immune. It was honestly kind of funny, how much alike the two were without being related at all.
While Ikuki saw the humor in the situation, Mark was still sulking and feeling like Dawn was right, the first time they met. All he did was screw things up, from the moment he was born. Now, he just screwed things up on a cosmic scale. He was quiet and didn't speak more than a few words to Ikuki and Nox, but he was busy texting his mother on the phone. He had asked how Tiffany and Lux was doing, and if Joe had caused any trouble. Hope had been giving him updates, saying they had gone outside to get some fresh air.
There was someone else he was texting, too. Someone he had outed his father, to. Apollo had been in Kaiser City, searching for his creators. While one was blanked from his memory, the other could give him the answers he so desired. Mark had enough of dealing with his father's drama, and absolutely threw him under the bus for Apollo to find. It was a moment that, he felt, was heartless and cruel, but something worse than Apollo was on its way because Chronos refused to help. So Mark took the initiative. Besides, Apollo never had any intention of hurting or killing Chronos, just finding his second creator. Still, Mark couldn't help but feel guilty over it.
"You've been really quiet. You're not shutting down too, are you?" Ikuki leaned over on Mark, causing him to quickly switch the conversation back to his mother.
"I dunno. Maybe a little." Mark admitted. "But I can't. I have Tiffany and Lux and Nox to take care of. I don't have the luxury to just sulk in my room, all day." he said with a slight bitterness in his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that." he sighed as he leaned back on Ikuki. "I'm just tired of trying to help everyone. I know that sounds horrible, but it's true. I'm tired. I just want to focus on myself and Tiffany, and maybe plan a date with you. Just you. And I can't decide if that's selfish or not." he sighed heavily, burying his face into Ikuki's shoulders. "I kind of just want to go home, but I don't want to ruin the rest of the day, for you two." he said quietly, hoping Nox couldn't have heard him.
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